A few years back when news about a group of secret-Jews in Belmonte, Portugal, came to light, no one really took much notice. These secret Jews were thought to be the last descendants of Sephardi Jews forced to convert to Catholicism, and who had survived the onslaught of 300 years of Inquisition. This group fought an uphill battle with the local Portuguese Jewish communities, and the acidly unfriendly maze of the Israeli rabbinate, in order to gain some recognition.

Help did eventually come, but not without more pain. What had been a very cohesive community for nearly 500 years was suddenly divided between those who begrudgingly chose conversion under the guise of “return,” and those who did not because they thought conversion as an insult to their history, customs and Jewish status. The rabbis involved did not give any credence to their stories, the Jewish customs they had maintained, nor to their endogamic genealogies and practices. They were treated as Gentiles, and now being considered Gerim (converts to Judaism), which prevents them from marrying their own as they had been doing for 500 years.

Since then, a small synagogue was constructed with much sacrifice, a couple of nominally-trained rabbis have come and gone, and many Jewish on-lookers paraded Belmonte; many articles have given them accolades. But the community remained, and remains divided, their knowledge of Jewish Law null — to the point that they still they do not know their most basic Jewish responsibilities, and last I knew a dried-up mikveh was still without repair. The two most important “Jewish” activities is to beg for money to maintain the building, serve as poster boys for Zionist propaganda, and conveniently used for guilt-trips on the Portuguese government and its Church.

None of what you have read so far you will see reported in any newspaper, and unless you know people inside this community, and who can trust you enough to share their pain and shame, spectators at large would be completely unaware of this dismal picture, and think everything is rosy. This community has been hit so hard and so-hurt by the realities of institutional Jewry that they rather retrieve in silence, and hope for a better day.

Then comes Shavei Israel, which, back when it was still called Amishav, performed the second wave of unwarranted conversions on Belmonte’s “secret” Sephardim, and who took the golden opportunity to make them the poster-child of persecuted Spanish Jews.

Ever since, Shavei Israel has been trying to spin the Belmonte “success” in other places throughout Spain, Portugal, Latin America and the United States. Wherever there are Spanish or Portuguese speaking peoples, and some claim or rumors to a manifestation of “Crypto-Judaism,” Shavei makes it its responsibility to chime in.

Shavei Israel is an Israeli non-profit organization whose mission is to help “lost Jews” find “their way home.” In reality, it is a clearing house — with ties to the Israeli rabbinate — to convert any group of people, or individuals, who has philo-Jewish leanings and claims to be part of the People of Israel, however real or far-fetched these claims happen to be.

Rabbi Birnbaum, originally from Argentina, runs the clerical side of the converting operation, with Cottage Ulpan and all (now also available in Spanish). Shavei’s underlying philosophies, besides being overtly Zionist, seem to carry a messianic tone, whose end is to “force” the coming of the Messiah.

Key to this promotional enterprise, we have Mr. Michael Freund, a Ba’al Teshubáh (returnee) himself of Conservative Jewry parentage. Mr. Freund, a former Communication deputy for Netanyahu’s administration, is the Director of this organization. He serves as the face and voice of Shavei Israel, who utilizes all his useful media contacts to promote his organization freely through Israeli papers, mainly the Jerusalmen Post and Arutz Sheva.

If indeed Shavei Israel is truly helping the descendants of Spanish Jews, there is not much through which one can measure this claim. Most of their “returnees” are either kept off the public eye, they do not engage with anybody else besides Shavei, or simply disappear into anonymity.

A couple years back, when I directly questioned Mr. Freund about how they determined the Jewish status of these individuals, or what process they actually put them through, he completely avoided answering the question, and his only exit strategy was to say that everything was being handled by a “panel of experts.” No reason is given as to how his team is considered experts on the subject. The matter of Iberian Anusim is very intricate, determining status a very painstaking process.

Based on his answers too, I also realized the man does not know much about Jewish Law or the history of Anusim at any considerable depth, but in all fairness, he is a man of conviction. As the Public Relations professional that he is, he knows all too well not to answer things that will reveal his weaknesses or compromise the real story of his operations.

Another lingering question is, after all the advertising expenditures, where is all the money going? The Belmonte community to this day does not have a rabbi, and this has been so for at least three to four years. After the light and glitter, where is Shavei Israel’s help when Belmonte is in need?

The most recent string of these hero-like tale stories of “Marrano” survival is one published by the Jerusalem Post, in a column entitled “Fundamentally Freund.” This particular article discusses the majestic Oporto synagogue Mekor Hayyim, where Shavei set up shop not long ago.

Congregation Mekor Hayim was founded by former Portuguese Anusim under the guidance of Captain Barros Bastos over 70 years ago, with the generous contributions of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews of London and New York. Long before they had a building, Rabbi David deSola Pool z”l himself traveled to Portugal to take them their first Torah scroll in over 400 years. If one wants to gauge the quality of Jewish charity between the Zionists and Sephardim, one just has to compare the buildings of Belmonte and Mekor Hayim side-by-side.

After a brief period of hope, Congregation Mekor Hayyim went downhill due to a scandal launched by the government against Captain Barros Bastos, the apathy of Portuguese Anusím who never found the energy to become cohesively organized, and internal congregational squabbles between recent-Ashkenazi arrivals and its former Portuguese Anusím. For several decades, Mekor Hayyim remained empty and forgotten.

Now, Mekor Hayim has regained life once again, now as the perfect stage and center piece for Shavei’s more “legitimate Sephardi” operations and claims to saving the day.

God save them!

Mr. David Ramírez, a former Counselor to the Board of Directors for Ess Hayim – the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Houston (est. 2005) – is a recognized independent researcher on Sephardic history, development of halakhic thinking in the tradition of Maimónides, comparative studies in religion and philosophy. Before his transference to Houston, TX, in 2006, Mr. Ramírez had functioned as teacher of Judaism for the Sephardic synagogue OrVe Shalom (est. 1914), in the city of Atlanta, GA. Mr. Ramírez has had the opportunity to study under Rabbi Faur; he has participated in learning projects with Rabbi Bittón, former Chief Rabbi from South-America; and recently with Rabbi Oliveira, and Rabbi Lopes via Yahdut Sefarad, an Israeli non-profit organization for the promotion of rabbinic intellectual values. As a translator, Mr. Ramírez has collaborated with professors at Bar Ilan University, Netanya College, with directors at the Centro Educativo Sefaradí (Jerusalem) and he has been featured as a poet in the “Mentalities” journal. As a writer, David has been invited for cameo appearances at the Sephardic Update Newsletter, and currently some of his work has been featured at faur.derushapublishing.com. Born and raised in Mexico, Mr. Ramírez holds a BBA from Oglethorpe University, a music degree from Escuela Superior de Música de Monterrey, and is an avid reader on the history of New Spain and Spanish literature.

What Dr. David Ramirez is bringing is pure truth and something needs to be done. Contacting the Sefaradim who have been taken under the wings of organizations like “Shavei Israel” etc…and put an end to the false “Sefardic” Jewish living that is portrayed under the scope of something that has nothing to do with Sefaradim and Sephardic intellectual tradition.

What hurts most is seeing some crypto-jews, or just anusím converted with this organization Shavei..and having these Jews think they are truly getting into the true and pure faith of our fathers…seeing them dressed in apparel that doesn´t belong to them and hearing them speak german-english-modern hebrew….among many other things.

Ashkenazim have their things, and we have ours.
And our need to stop mixing with things that are not ours, and remain true to our traditions and history.

Belmonte has a rabbi . People of Belmonte are, in fact, participating in he Kehila and Minian and everything we need and have. We have references and even youing people area going up in stuidies of Judaism. Speakin about the Jewish Community of Belmonte or of Trancoso or Guarda or somewhere is to say somethin about PORTUGAL and nos SPANISH JEWS. We aea portuguese. We have our own tradictions and way of Life . Surely if you go to someone and teel that they area not jews, please, it is crazy. WE PRESERVED THE TRADITIONS BEFORE THE STATE OF ISRAEL EXISTED. Centruries hiden and praying at home, with our way of living . Even isolated and with no rabbi. They appeered few years ago. When I created in Guarda the Rosh Pinah Jewish Association no rabbi existed all arround except Lisbon. At the same time Me other familiars and freinds funded the Portugal israel Friendship Society with the help of the embassador Ephraim Eldar and ambassador Dov halevy Milman. Shavei now is here helping, yes, is helping to know what people lost in communication with the cristian society
But we area Jews not beginers in judaism. We preserved in secret , far from the eyes of a lot of people our faith. BH we succeded

Mr. Ramirez fails to provide hard evidence for his claims. I find his tone arch, supercilious and irritating . He speaks condescendingly of the Belmonte B’nei Anoussim. Where does he get off calling them beggars? Many organisations solicit funds without earning such a despicable label.
I would like to see a similar article by a true authority on B’nei Anousssim–Anita Novinsky, Shulamith HaLevy, Paulo Valadares, Inacio Steinhardt, for example–who believes in fact checking, stats and such.
We B’nei Anoussim are a diverse group. We can speak for ourselves, we can think independently. We are neither sheep nor mendicants.We do not need Mr. Ramirez and his patronise ilk “advocate” for us.There are, believe it or not writers and scholars among us.
All in all, this article seems designed to call more attention to its author than to the very serious question of how to reconcile B’nei Anoussim to normative Judaism. BTW, do I detect a nasty whiff of anti-Zionism here? If so, I take exception to an American presuming to dictating to Israelis and Portuguese Jews. Mr. Ramirez ought to keep in mind that having survived we survived the Inquisition, we will most probably survive his tensdder mercies and that of his cohorts. Jvoices indeed.